News from Stockholm Water Week - Tuesday 19th August 2008

We are well underway now, Day 2 gone already! Monday (18 August 2008) was the day of the set piece plenaries. You either love this part of the event, or you hate it. In the morning some great folk singing set the scene and the standard welcomes were carried out. There were some superb presentations – His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange and HE Marc Ravolomanana, the President of Madagascar, in two very different ways inspired the bulk of 2,400 registered delegates (the largest ever, in the 18 year history of the World Water Week).

The UNSGAB Chair reported on tangible sanitation successes, from the advocacy arenas of international institutions to the place where the rubber hits the road – in developing countries – Ethiopia was one success cited. Then, the Island President had the audience riveted with his detailed description of the trials of an impoverished nation fighting to escape the entrenched poverty which is partly a result of the prevalence of open defecation and poor hygiene. Who would have thought even two years ago, that a national President would be so knowledgeable and comfortable talking about the gender aspects of sanitation and about hand washing in schools – so not only was commitment obvious, massive progress was also evident, and it was great to be present to witness it.

As forecast, Prof Tony Allan provoked and cajoled in his valedictory address on acceptance of the Water Laureate’s prize, but while his account of the water usage inherent in our food consumption was clever and persuasive, the main “so what” point that was being made was unclear - did he want to make a virtual point, or is vegetarianism really the only way forward...?

The early afternoon session couldn’t match the morning’s excellence, although James Leape, DG of WWF International did a sterling job highlighting the ecosystem disaster that is looming or perhaps already underway through climate change. But why is there a persistence with the highly visible (as a keynote speaker) presence in this event of a sponsor whose activities are felt by some to contribute to the sanitation problem rather than to its solution. It is hoped that this situation is fully resolved promptly - it is an elephant in the otherwise tranquil Water Week room!

By the time of the late afternoon High Level Panel, most of the delegates had voted with their feet and commenced the real business of the event – the cavernous public space was brimful of delegates greeting, meeting, networking, persuading, teaching and preparing. Just as well – the next three days are heaving with a mouth watering variety of events – the phoney war is over!